Truth has a funny way of finding an out
by RizzleDizzle
Summary: Set after 2x15, will eventually lead to Rizzles – Jane is dealing with the aftermath of shooting Doyle. Both her and Maura come to the realisation they're in love with each other but how will that work when they're not even friends right now?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Rizzoli & Isles do not belong to me and I'm only borrowing the characters to go in the direction which I wish the show would go. No copyright intended and kudos to the creators, they are pure genius.

**Summary**: Set after 2x15, will eventually lead to Rizzles – Jane is dealing with the aftermath of shooting Doyle and Maura's feeling towards her now.

**Update: So this is my first R&I fic and the first time writing in a long time. I've realised the chapters are a little short but they are getting longer as it goes on, just need to develop the POV intro bits a little bit before we can dive right into the story. Reviews are lovely if you have the time, lets me correct anything glaring wrong as I'm editing this myself (thanks for the comment about the full stop, completely missed that and now corrected!)**

**Chapter 1**

Jane replayed the scene in her head for the millionth time. Why had she let Maura be bait? Why hadn't she seen Doyle drop the clip out of his gun? Taken in the horrified look on Maura's face before she shot? She tried every time to think how she could have done things differently and it all came down to the same answer. She fucked up. She had told Gabriel, Agent Dean, about Doyle and in doing so had set things in motion without possibly knowing the outcome. She should've known though, how could she possibly think telling an FBI agent about a wanted felon would result in anything different other than him pursuing Doyle? She had fucked up and now she was paying the price for it.

"Jane?" Korsak broke her out of her reverie. She had no idea what he was asking or how long he'd been looking at her but his face was filled with concern and if she didn't know better, pity. "Yeah Vince, what is it?" She sighed, drawing on every ounce of energy to try and act like she wanted to know the answer.

"Why don't you go home? No-one would think anything of it, it's normal after a shooting especially, well you know, given the details." His face tensed as he tried not to mention Maura but it was like having a giant white elephant in the room. "I don't need a break, I need to do my god damn job. I'm a detective for Christ sake, I'm not supposed to be sat at home twiddling my thumbs because we followed a lead and it didn't end well." She tried to not snap but she was getting a bit sick and tired of having to explain herself. Couldn't people understand that her world had ended and she was just trying to get through one moment to the next?

"Jane…" Frost began, "Look, I know what happened was messed up and I know we're treading on egg shells not to mention it but you did what you thought was right. Why don't you try talking to her again? She was in shock, she just lashed out."

As helpful as he was trying to be, Jane could feel the emotions bubbling away to the surface. Had he been there when she'd tried talking to Maura at the hospital? She'd dismissed her just as sharply and just as angrily as when it'd first happened. It wasn't the anger though, that she could cope with, it was what she actually said that was killing Jane.

"_Maura…Hows he..?"_

"_Don't. Don't you dare act like you give a damn how he is. Don't come here and try and talk to me and feel justified for what you did."_

"_I wasn't, I needed to see you, to see how you were doing."_

"_How I'm doing Jane? My supposed best friend shoots my father, who incidentally had dispensed his clip, and all because the first sign of affection from Agent Dean and you spill one of my most guarded secrets. How am I Jane? I'm fine, I'm fantastic and right now I'm dealing with my family so I don't have time for you."_

"_Maur, I'm sorry. I did what I thought was right and if I could go back and change it, I would."_

"_Well if I could go back and change ever meeting you, I would. Goodbye Jane."_

She could feel the tears welling up as she thought about it. The damage Hoyt had inflicted on her felt nothing compared to those words coming out of Maura's mouth. It felt like she'd been stabbed through the heart and nothing she did could ease the pain. 3 more days had passed since then and there'd been no reprieve, no relief or change to the searing pain in her chest.

"She's made up mind Frost and I'm not gonna cause her any more pain by trying to push it." Jane replied whilst standing up and grabbing her jacket. "I'm out of here for the day." She said to Frost and Korsak, not even bothering to wait for the reply as she headed to the elevator. She'd head to the Dirty Robber. What did it matter if it was only 11am? As far as Jane was concerned, there was nothing in her life that could be any worse right now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jane could feel the alcohol resting in her stomach. She'd lost count of how many beers she'd downed in the last 4 hours but she had no desire to do anything else. How could she have gotten things so wrong? The answers didn't seem any clearer each time she reached the end of a bottle but at least oblivion was getting closer.

She was so tied up in thinking about her next bottle that she didn't see Korsak coming up, nor see the looks between him and the bartender as he gestured towards a very drunk Jane.

"Jane, I think maybe it's time to get you out of here, get some food into you." Korsak said in the softest, most caring, voice he could manage. He'd never seen Jane this way before and to be honest, it scared the life out of him. When everything had happened with Hoyt, Jane had closed down and shut herself off from people. When Bobby had forced her to put a bullet through herself to end the stand-off, she stayed away with her pain. But here she was, in public, drunk and looking distinctly like she might burst into tears at any given moment.

"Nah, thanks tho Korsak. Think I'll grab another beer instead. You draw the short straw in coming to talk to me?" Jane slurred slightly as she responded. What good would food do her? She'd long lost her appetite with Maura no longer around to tell her that her diet consisted of too many 'starch carbohydrates and saturated fats' and not enough 'fibre and minerals'.

"C'mon Jane, this won't do you any good. This wasn't your fault and the doc? She's just pissed at the moment cus she's hurtin', once she's calmed down she'll speak to you and everything won't seem so bad anymore." Korsak tried to soothe her but the minute he mentioned Maura, he could see Jane's body tense and the tears that had threatened a moment before started to flow.

"She said she wished she never met me." Jane whispered in a broken tone. There. It was out there now. The words that had been haunting her for 3 days and she'd spoken them. It didn't do any good though, just seemed to make the situation seem more real, and she couldn't help the tears that rolled down her cheeks.

Korsak gestured to the bartended for a couple of shots and waited until there was two glasses of bourbon sitting in front of them. "I know I might seem like a dinosaur to you considering the newer model you traded me in for…" "Korsak", Jane interrupted. "No Jane, let me finish. I may seem like I'm slowing down and sometimes that I'm oblivious to things but anyone would have to be deaf, dumb and blind not to notice the chemistry between you and Maura. She's your best friend and I bet right now she's missing you. She thinks the world of you. I've seen her face when you come into a room and it lights up. Yours does exactly the same. Right now, she's hurt and she's hurt badly. She's lashing out and it makes sense to do that to the person closest to you regardless of who fired the shot." He sighed, sliding one of the glasses over to her and picking up his own. "You're no good to her when you're like this and you're no good to anyone else. As a detective you're one of the best there is but jeez, put an emotional problem in front of you and it's like all logic goes out the window."

Jane sat for a while, starring into the bourbon and hoping for any kind of answer. She let Korsak's words sink in and tried to understand what they meant to her. She missed Maura but she didn't want to cause her any more hurt. She thought back to the hospital and it seemed to her that Maura had only been angry; she was the one who'd gotten hurt. Making a decision, she knocked back the bourbon and turned to Korsak, "Take me to the hospital please."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The drive to the hospital seemed sobering for Jane. All the courage the alcohol and Korsak's words had provided in making her decision seemed to be disappearing and all that was left was her nerves. What if Maura meant what she said? What if she wasn't just lashing out but actually wished that she'd never met Jane? Her heart felt like it was shattering at the thought. She was just going to have to bite the bullet and try and get through to her.

The car stopped outside the main doors and she heard Korsak fidget in his seat, searching for either words of encouragement or words to dissuade her. She wasn't sure which he was going for but rather than give him the chance, she spoke up. "Thanks for the ride dino.." she began, stopping briefly as Korsak snorted. "I appreciate it, really, I know I can be an ass sometimes. I'm gonna try make her listen to me and I guess if it doesn't work then I'll pick myself up and try again."

He smiled at her, "That's the best thing to do Jane. Want me to wait for you?"

"No thanks, I may be sometime and if I'm not, I think some air would do me good." She replied with a heavy heart.

"Okay but you call me if you need anything. No more stupid drinking binges and if she does lash out then just remember, she's hurtin' and you're an easy target."

"Thanks Korsak." She smiled briefly, getting out the car and steading herself.

Jane watched as the car drove off and then walked towards to what was to be the scene of either a great idea or the end of a bad bad day. As she entered the ward, she walked slowly towards where Doyle was, trying to figure out how the hell to start this conversation. The guards on duty nodded at her, needing no introduction, and she cautiously entered his room.

The sight before her took her breath away. Maura was delicately slouched in a chair, head tilted to the side and out for the count. Jane sighed, waking her up would definitely not add to helping the conversation go smoothly. Just as she was about to lose her nerve and save it for another day, a voice startled her.

"Hey trigger happy." Doyle gruffly greeted her.

She looked towards the injured man, trying to wipe the shock off of her face. "Doyle. I, uh, I wasn't expecting you to be awake. Not that I'm not happy you are, just…" She trailed off, holding her hands together and trying to steady her nerves. She could feel the calloused scars and rubbed them rhymthically trying to find kind of calm.

"Don't act so nervous, it's not like I can get you back or anything." He replied.

She swallowed hard before she realised he was joking and let out a shaky breath.

"I'm so sorry, I acted on instinct. I know that my job was telling me to bring you in but I never meant for the FBI to be there and I would never have hurt you if I thought there was a different option." Jane admitted in a whisper.

He smiled encouragingly before hacking gentle into his shoulder. "I know you it wasn't malicious, I don't blame you. It's my lifestyle but I was only there to protect Maura. I'd do anything to protect her." He gave her a knowing look which sent her head reeling as she tried to figure out what he was implying.

"I never meant to hurt her." She continued in a broken voice, taking a side glance at the sleeping form of Maura.

"I can tell, you just need to see the way you look at her to know that much."

She stared at him confused. "You're the second person to say that today. She's my best friend; I'd do anything for her." She replied, her voice high pitched and breaking at the end of her sentence.

Neither Doyle nor Jane noticed Maura stirring.

He smiled gently and continued, "Even pretend to not be in love with her so you don't risk losing her?"

Jane's look was one of a deer as it was caught in oncoming headlights. All the feelings that had been bubbling away in her subconscious suddenly pricked at her mind, begging to be listened to. She stuttered as she tried to reply, "I'm not, I don't. I love her but as my friend, I'm not in…" She trailed off as she tried to make sense of her thoughts through her drunken haze.

"Of course you're not." He smiled again, his expression mocking his reply.

Jane felt like the world was spiralling before her. In love with Maura? Suddenly it was like a fog cleared and she realised why everything had hurt so much, why Maura not wanting to know her felt like a sledgehammer to the heart. She closed her eyes and willed her breathing to steady as she tried to process the onslaught of thoughts that had barrelled their way into her mind.

"I've got to go," she stammered as she walked backwards out of the room. She had to get away, she needed air.

Doyle smiled as she left, turning slightly to his side to alleviate the pain in his lungs from the short conversation. At least he'd been able to get one of them to admit to their feelings, that was something he could be sure of. He closed his eyes, letting sleep slowly drag him under.

Maura opened her eyes, trying to process what the hell had just gone on.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Maura Isles was a logical woman. She prided herself on never jumping to conclusions and following the facts till the only conclusion left to reach was based on evidence and evidence alone. As such she was struggling to make sense of what had just happened.

Her senses had come alive the minute Jane had walked into the room at the hospital. She knew her scent as well as her own. She had been thrown by the smell of beer and before opening her eyes, was composing herself ready for an argument. She knew her words had been hurtful and vicious. She saw the look on Jane's face and her own heart nearly crumbled at the intensity of utter devastation in front of her. She wanted to reach out, to tell Jane she was sorry and didn't mean it, but the anger inside her refused to let her. Emotions were not her strong suit and trying to contend which such extreme and powerful feelings was affecting her ability to think clearly. Just as she had been about to open her eyes, she heard her biological father speak.

She had no idea why she hadn't spoken up at that point. She meant to interrupt, to let them know that she was awake and intended to participate in the conversation. Jane's tone however made her stop. She sounded broken, pent up with emotion and Maura could hear the slight slur behind her words. She was drunk. Again Maura wanted to stand up, to confront her. How dare she come into the hospital under the influence of alcohol. How dare she believe she was welcome to swan straight in like she had some kind of right especially given their last conversation.

Doyle's words stopped her dead in her tracks though. He thought Jane was in love with her? She had to stop herself laughing at the thought. Her and Jane were friends yes, best friends even. Lovers? No, there were definitely no thoughts from Jane towards her in that manner. She supposed she had little to compare it with, after all most of the friends she had previously were socialites and not people she spent a great deal of time with. Certainly not people she'd ever discuss her feelings with, let alone consider seeing her dressed down and eating pizza with a dog curled up by her feet. She wasn't a snob by any means but she guarded that side of her closely.

Maura listened to Jane stuttering and stumbling over her words and allowed herself to open her eyes a crack to observe her. Jane was rubbing her scars, a habit she only reverted to when she was incredibly nervous. Her heart rate had increased and she could see perspiration appearing on her brow. Maura justified that this could all be due to her alcohol intake. However the look on Jane's face told her otherwise. It was like she'd had a sudden epiphany and her mind was being attacked from all angles. As Jane moved to leave the room, Maura made sure her eyes were closed and no signs of her being awake were showing. She rationalised that she needn't have bothered as neither her father or Jane had paid her the slightest attention as the conversation took place.

She waited a few minutes to be safe and then opened her eyes. Her father's breathing was steady and his lack of movement suggested that he had fallen back asleep. Maura stood quietly and contemplated what had just happened. All the anger that she had felt towards Jane had dissipated the minute she had apologised to Doyle and he had accepted it. Instead all she felt was confusion and uncertainty.

She knew she had to talk to Jane if only to try and resolve this distance between them. She had no intention of revealing the conversation she had overheard, she just missed her best friend and knew that her work was cut out if she was going to try and make up for the pain she had caused.

Was it really that easy though? Jane had let the secret of Doyle slip to an FBI agent of all people. Normally she'd have found it easy to say that she trusted Jane with her life but as she sifted through her thoughts she realised that she was unable to say that now. Her inability to lie betrayed the fact that she wished she could trust Jane with anything. Now the unwelcomed thought of broken trust entered her mind and she wondered how she would be able to resolve that. How could she trust that Jane wouldn't give away her secrets any time she got close to someone else in her life?

Thoughts of Jane and Gabriel Dean came into her mind and she could feel the anger that had just disappeared emerge once again. Who the hell did he think he was storming in like that after Jane had implicitly told him to await her instruction? Jane had trusted him with that information and he had just thrown it away by prioritising his job over her. She didn't deserve that. Jane deserved someone who treated her as their number one priority. Who did he think he was swanning back into town and thinking he could play her hero? Admittedly she had found him good looking and considered him as date material when they had first met but he had no right being with Jane.

No right? Maura considered where that thought had come from. Who was she to decide who did and didn't have the right to be with Jane? She contemplated this as she considered Jane's previous romantic encounters. Despite her eagerness to help and encourage Jane into dating them, she realised each time that she had done so it'd felt like she was pouring vinegar into an open cut. Nothing so painful as to have stopped her but enough of an irritant that she was aware of the pain each time it happened.

So what did this mean? Did she feel the same way about Jane? Maura tried to process her thoughts but unlike her science where she was able to act rationally and digest each snippet of information separately, she realised that she had no way of trying to do this with Jane. Whenever she thought of Jane, her stomach was flooded with giddiness and she no longer acted on fact, but on instinct. She had never considered this before but suddenly the information was right there in front of her and she had no choice but to face it. She was in love with Jane.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Jane didn't know where she was going. Her first thought was to return to the Dirty Robber and grab another drink. She sure as hell needed one after that revelation. How the hell had she managed to kid herself into thinking her feelings for Maura were just those of friendship? Her mind was showing her a constant reel of conversations that had taken place between her and Maura over the last few months and there was no denying the attraction. She watched in her mind as she playfully touched Maura whenever she could, the way she looked at Maura, the way everything else faded to insignificance every time Maura entered a room. God the sleeping next to each other, how could she not have realised that? Her usual sleeping patterns were irregular and plagued with unrest and nightmares. Sleeping next to Maura was a whole different story altogether. She slept peacefully and felt safe. She realised that she'd been chalking it up to their friendship and how close they'd been. God, she's even managed to forget about the way they'd woken up together a few weeks ago after her high school reunion.

_Jane was having one of the most surreal dreams of her life. She could feel heat coursing through her body as hands gently played up and down her mid-drift, from her hip all the way up to the underside of her breast. The touch was ghost like but all the same, it sparked a fire inside of her and she could feel herself begin to get wet._

_Biting down a moan, something inside her screamed at her to wake up, as she felt the heaviness of a limb resting over her thigh._

_Jane opened her eyes and tried to blink away her confusion at the sight in front of her. Some point during the early hours, Maura had curled up at her side and obviously mistaken her for a sexual partner rather than her best friend. Her hand was moving in her sleep, trailing up and down Jane's side. During this exploration she had turned and hooked her leg over Jane's, settling it in between Jane's legs. Maura's shirt had ridden up and Jane could feel the heat of her stomach as it rested against her own._

_For whatever reason she decided against waking Maura and making a joke out of their positioning. Instead she had let Maura continue for several achingly long seconds before Maura's hand had started to stroke higher. Only then did Jane feign sleep and roll sideways, stopping the caresses, as if adjusting her body during sleep._

How she hadn't woken Maura up during that, Jane didn't know. She hadn't mentioned it to Maura and had written off the whole event to some unfortunate dream Maura was obviously going through. Why hadn't she told Maura about it then? She realised slowly that she hadn't mentioned it because Maura would have automatically asked questions in her innocent way which would have pushed Jane's feelings from her subconscious into her conscious. It was like pretending something didn't exist; if she didn't talk about it, then she didn't have to acknowledge it and could pretend it wasn't there at all. It was simple to put all their actions, their feelings and conduct, towards the natural behaviour of best friends.

Jane sighed as she continued to run through the possibilities of where she could go. She couldn't go back to the station in the state she was in. Her apartment was full of memories and reminders of Maura and was the last place she wanted to go. Normally she'd have headed over to Maura's place but for obvious reasons that wasn't a good idea right now. Any ideas of visiting her mom were quickly abandoned as well when she realised that she'd be in close proximity to Maura if she were to come home from the hospital. Aside from which her mother had a way of extracting information in the least subtle way possible and she didn't think she could cope talking to her about Maura. So really she was out of options. She checked her watch, 4.35pm. She would go for a walk, try clear some of the cobwebs out of her brain and then see if she could catch Korsak and Frost when they finished.

The walk to the front of Boston PD had been fruitless and she was no clearer now then she had been before. She was in love with Maura. That much had managed to sink in but she had no idea what to do with those feelings especially given that the object of her affection seemed to wish she didn't exist. Her words at the hospital rang in Jane's ears again and she fought back the urge to cry. This wasn't the time or the place and crying was going to get her nowhere. She thought back to her recent visit to the hospital and how serene Maura had looked. Her hair was perfectly in place, her clothes flawless and she looked as she always did; ready to step onto a fashion shoot. A gentle smile tugged at her lips as she thought of how soft Maura's skin looked. She knew what it felt like, the touching between them was an every day occurrence. The smile went as quickly as it appeared. Not only would she never get to know what it felt like to touch her as a lover but right now she was unsure if she'd ever get to touch her as a best friend again. The thought of no hand holding, no curling up on the sofa together, not resting her feet in Maura's lap when she was tired and of throwing an arm round Maura's shoulder when Maura was sleep. The thought alone was terrifying and Jane realised she had no idea how to be without Maura.

She heard the loud chatter of Korsak and Frost before she saw them and for once their timing couldn't have been better. She needed to put the love stuff to one side and figure out how the hell she was going to get her best friend back. For that she needed a game play and she needed help doing that. Korsak and Frost would be the perfect partners she realised. Enough in hers and Maura's world to run interference without it being unusual, and she realised with a slight pang of guilt, if her recent behaviour was anything to go by then they'd be willing to get her out of this hole she was in.


	6. Chapter 6

**Update: **So I'm letting this story drift along naturally which may be a little slow for some people but I hate rushing into things. Chapters are starting to get a little more in-depth and longer now and I'm trying to update it as much as possible in-between real life. Reviews are always welcome!

**Chapter 6**

Korsak was so busy talking to Frost it took him a few seconds to realise Jane was sitting on the front steps. In her own thoughts he noticed her gaze had unintentionally drifted to the spot where she was shot. Despite this she looked calmer then when he'd dropped her off at the hospital and he prayed that the conversation with Maura had gone well.

"Jane? Everything go okay with Maura?" Korsak asking, walking a few steps further down so he could look at her rather than peer down from above.

Jane paused a moment before answering. "I didn't get to speak to her, she was sleeping."

Korsak nodded, trying to work out why she seemed calmer if she hadn't even talked to her.

"She was asleep," she continued, "but I spoke with Doyle." She saw their reactions and continued anyway, "It made me realise a few things but those aren't important right now. What's important is that I get my best friend back and I need your help doing that."

Frost responded before Korsak had the chance to, "Course Jane, no problem. What do you need us to do?"

Jane sighed and stood up, "I have no idea, buy you both a few drinks and come up with a game plan?" She saw Korsak eye has warily, "I've sobered up and I'm just gonna have soda, I need to do this right."

He shook his head and smiled, "Anything if it stops you being such a pain in my ass."

Jane smiled, maybe something could go right in this day.

Maura sighed as she slipped off her shoes by the door. She felt weary and had barely had chance to be home for more than an hour at a time in the last few days. Angela had been visiting to check up on Bass and she smiled briefly as she noticed more food on the kitchen counter. The older Rizzoli had been leaving food for her every day and Maura knew it was her way of trying to make things easier and help out.

She sighed again as thoughts of the other female Rizzoli came into her head. Jane. Maura had left the hospital in somewhat of a daze, intent of driving straight home but had instead driven to Jane's apartment. She hadn't made it as far as knocking, instead staring intently at the drawn curtains and wondering how Jane was doing again. She had sat in her own thoughts for what seemed like hours but had in fact only been 20 minutes. Startled out of her thoughts, she had stared at Frankie until she realised he intended to speak to her.

"_Maura," he started, "What brings you here? Gonna talk to Janie?"_

"_I don't know why I'm here, I just ended up here when I was trying to drive home." She answered, not quite looking him in the eye._

"_You okay Maura? I mean I know Jane looks like shit and the only time she speaks to people is to bite their heads off but, you look like you've seen a ghost." Frankie said with a look of concern on his face._

"_She looks like, uh, I mean she doesn't look good? Is she unwell?" She asked before she could stop herself._

"_I, er, don't know Maura. She's not been good since what happened. I think you should talk to her, give her the chance to explain to you." Frankie held his hands up as a look of anger flashed across Maura's face. "I don't mean to interfere, it's just she's my sister. She thinks the world of you and I hate to think both of you are hurtin' when you could be there for each other."_

_Maura gave him a tight smile, "Thank you Frankie, I appreciate your concern. If I could trouble you to not mention to Jane I was here I would be grateful for that."_

_He nodded, "Take care of yourself please Maura."_

So Jane hadn't been coping well. Maura had digested that information on the drive to her house and realised that she hadn't stopped to think about how Jane might be feeling. It was like the anger had replaced anything else. She wandered into her bedroom, removing her clothing and carefully hanging it ready for cleaning. She knew she should get some food but part of her wanted to lie down and pretend the world didn't exist for just 5 minutes. As she snuggled under the sheets she caught Jane's scent. Exploring she discovered her old worn out Red Sox t-shirt that she often wore in bed. She closed her eyes tight, bringing the t-shirt up to her face and inhaling. Why couldn't things just be simple?

Maura woke up with a start and glanced at the clock. It was 9pm. She'd been asleep for just over 3 hours but felt surprisingly better for it. She took a few moments to adjust to her surroundings and clear her head from the sleep induced fog. She'd dreamt. It was a dream so real that she wasn't sure what she'd made up in her head and what had actually happened.

_For some reason she could feel herself running her hand up and down Jane's body. Her skin had felt soft and smooth but with a firmness underneath provided by her ample muscles. Her fingertips had traced up and down Jane's side before she'd turned, resting her leg over one of Jane's. The heat she could feel as their stomachs came into contact had started a raging inferno in her head. She let her fingertips drift higher and then…._

Nothing. The contact had been broken and she'd woken up. Maura knew it was a dream yet something about it was tapping away at the back of her mind like a sense of déjà vu. She'd touched Jane before, they were always touching, but the emotions it had provoked in her were nothing like before. They'd transcended her dream and here she was like a horny teenager, waking up out of breath and with a longing in her so strong that she wasn't sure how to contain it.

It didn't matter though. Yes Jane loved her and she had come to realise that she was in love with Jane. Right now though they weren't even talking as friends and studies had shown that any meaningful and lasting relationship needed trust as an essential element. So right now none of her feelings mattered as she couldn't trust Jane.

Maura rolled over to the side of the bed and dangled her feet over the edge. She put her head in her heads and bit her lip to keep from crying. She couldn't be without Jane. The last few days had been excruciating and underneath all that anger and pain, she'd hoped every day that Jane would show up, just so she could see her face. Trust could be regained and it could be worked on. She needed to give Jane a chance as much as she needed Jane to forgive her for her cruel words.

Yes she decided, she'd do just that. She stood up and flexed her muscles, rolling some of the kinks out from her sleep. She'd fix some of Angela's food to eat and then she would meditate to try and calm herself. Tonight she needed to rest and to try put herself into a more stable frame of mind. Tomorrow she would talk to Jane. Tomorrow she would have a plan.


	7. Chapter 7

**Update:**** Jubilee weekend here in the UK (God save the Queen!) so update's a little slow in coming – apologies!**

**Chapter 7**

The more Jane thought about what she was doing, the more panic took hold of her.

She'd explained to Frost and Korsak the conversation she'd had with Doyle, leaving out the parts where he told her she was in love with Maura. She thought back to seeing her friend sleeping at the hospital and she could feel her heart tugging in her chest. On the one hand she was terrified that Maura had actually meant what she'd said about not wanting to have ever met her. On the other though she could only see the woman she loved hurting and she wanted to do anything to make that pain go away.

"Well anytime I pissed off one of my wives, I'd buy them chocolate or flowers and it seemed to do the trick," Korsak suggested with a smile.

"Yeah doesn't Maura really like those fudge clusters?" Added Frost with a glint in his eyes.

Jane eyed them both with suspicion before continuing, "Yes she does and that's not a bad idea if we were married and I'd stayed out late drinking with the guys. However, she's my best friend and I think shooting her father constitutes a bit more of a fuck up then having a few too many beers."

"I think you gotta go for the long game Jane," began Korsak, "You gotta make her feel special but not be too much in her face that she'll lash out at you again. Maybe we're on the right track with the fudge clusters but they're more Macy's and we gotta think Gucci for the doc."

"Yeah that's good man," Frost interjected. "If she's Gucci then you gotta treat her with respect and persistence, a simply apology isn't gonna cut it."

"Okay I'm hearing you, I'm thinking," Jane said taking a swig of her soda. "So I need special and I need uptown rather than run of the mill." She paused considering her options before smiling. "Genius, you guys are great." She stood up, peeling a $20 out of her pocket and throwing it down on the table. "I know just where to start," she yelled back at them as she quickly exited the bar.

"Glad we could be of help!" Frost yelled after her retreating figure, looking at Korsak's matching bewildered face.

Jane smiled to herself as she drove towards Maura's place. The idea that Maura needed to be treated special was so obvious but she'd been stuck before at how to show it. She was going to get her best friend back and this was just the start.

Jane idled the car as she approached the house, killing the lights and cutting the engine so she could crawl nearer. With a stealth like approach, she exited the car with her box and approached the door. She tried the handle and was pleased to find it locked. At least Maura had finally started paying attention to security. As quietly as she could, she unlocked the door and let herself in. Wandering towards the kitchen, she prayed to whatever higher power that was listening that Maura wouldn't wake up. All of her ideas had centred on the fact that Maura would find her gifts when she wasn't there. This worked in 2 ways for Jane. If she was angry, Jane wouldn't find herself on the end of any more painful words. If she was pleased, Jane knew Maura would take time to figure out a way to say thank you, even if she was still angry at Jane. She smiled as for once she could find something about her upbringing to be grateful for; Maura's impeccable sense of social decorum and the need to be polite. Backing out of the kitchen slowly, Jane headed back towards the door and left the house as quietly as she'd entered making sure to lock it behind her. She grinned as for once something had gone according to plan. She was so busy congratulating herself that she couldn't help the shriek that escaped her lips as she turned straight round into a body.

"Jane Rizzoli!" Her mom bellowed. "What exactly do you think you're doing sneaking around people's houses at 1am in the morning?"

Jane panicked and glanced nervously behind her to check that Maura's lights hadn't come on, "Ma, I'll tell you everything but please, don't wake Maura up." She whispered harshly.

Angela's face softened at her daughters expression and she moved to the side to let her in, "Okay but you tell me everything Jane Rizzoli, I don't want any details left out."

Just as Jane entered the house, the lights in the adjourning property came on. Both women froze and Jane looked at her mom pleadingly. "Get in the house!" Angela snapped in hushed tones.

Angela heard the lock turning and then Maura's head appeared. "Angela?" She enquired, "I thought I heard voices. Is everything okay?"

Angela smiled, ignoring her daughter crouched and shaking at her side, "I was just taking out some trash and mumbling along to myself, I didn't mean to wake you."

Maura smiled slightly and nodded, "Okay, no problem." She started retreating back into the house.

"Get some rest Maura, maybe you'll pop in and see me for a coffee at the precinct tomorrow?"

Maura nodded, "I'll be in early so I'll come see you mid morning." She said softly as she closed the door behind her.

Angela looked skywards and muttered, "thank you," before closing the door and turning to her daughter. "Now would you like to explain exactly what's going on?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Jane paced back and forth for a minute, checking the curtains to make sure Maura's lights had remained off. Did she explain the whole truth? Or did she edit the part where she was in love with Maura and just explain to her mom how she needed to have her best friend back?

"Janie! Are you going to keep wearing a hole in Maura's floor or are you gonna sit down and talk to your ma about whats going on in that head of yours?" Angela asked opening her arms in an exasperated manner.

Jane signed and sat down on the couch, waiting for her mom to do the same.

"I need her back ma. I need to fix things." Jane said, looking straight at her mother as she talked. "I thought I could start by treating her the way she deserves to be treated, like Gucci." Ignoring her ma's confused expression, she continued, "She's special and I thought if I just start trying to show her that and show her how much she means to me then maybe she'll at least talk to me. If I can get her to talk to me then I can try and earn her forgiveness but I can't do that whilst she's ignoring me." Jane's voice broke as she finished speaking and she tilted her head down, staring at her hands.

"Jane Rizzoli you look at me right now!" Angela barked and Jane's head snapped up in response. "I didn't raise you to drop your head when you run into trouble," she started. "Maura is special, I know that hunni, but you are too," she said softly. "God I ought to knock your heads together the way you both behave."

Jane half smiled at this, "What'd you mean ma?"

"I mean Jane, the pair of you are infuriating. I've never seen two people so in love with each other but so utterly oblivious."

The deer in headlights look returned to Jane's face and she opened her mouth several times before sound actually escaped, "I, uh, I…"

"Don't you try and deny it Janie, it's no good to lie to your mother. I've seen the way you behave, seen the way you look at each other. God if it weren't for this stupid shooting and that greased up FBI agent then I thought you two were finally getting your act together." Angela stated with a twinge of annoyance.

"You think she loves me?" Jane asked in a whisper.

Angela smiled and took her daughter into her arms, kissing the top of her head, "I know she does sweetie. Now tell me exactly what this mastermind plan you had entailed, aside from sneaking around people's houses in the middle of the night and scaring your poor ma half to death."

Jane smiled, "This doesn't bother you ma? Me being in love with a woman?"

Angela laughed, "I want you to be happy. Maura is amazing and you deserve someone who looks at you the way she does," she paused. "And a doctor in the family? Well I could sure tell Carla Tulluci where she could stick it!"

Jane laughed, visibly relaxing, "Okay ma, sure. Well I wanted to try and do something small but something that Maura would appreciate. Besides, I knew if I did something nice then with her social graces and all she'd have to talk to me to say thank you. So I went to that fancy bakery she likes when we're on an all-nighter. I bought some fresh coffee beans for her fancy machine and some breakfast pastries. I laid everything out on the counter for her, got the cutlery out and everything and a note for her."

"What did it say?" Angela asked, smiling at the effort had daughter had apparently gone to.

"I wanted to keep it simple but make her smile so I just put 'Maura, I miss my best friend more then I miss good coffee, Jane' and then I added underneath 'but just so you know good coffee is important to me too'." Jane couldn't help the grin on her face as she thought about Maura reading it.

"I don't get it Janie, why couldn't you just have put that you miss her?"

"Cus I need to make her smile, I need her to try and remember why she might miss me too ma." Jane sighed and tipped her head back on the couch.

"Okay okay, I get it. Now get your behind out of here and into bed otherwise you're gonna look terrible for her tomorrow morning when she comes to speak to you." Angela said as she stood up.

"Thanks ma, I appreciate it." Jane leaned forwards, hugging her mother as she out her hand on the door handle and checked the window to make sure Maura wasn't lurking.

"It'll all work out Janie, I know it will." Her mother smiled as she left the house.

Maura woke up at 5.59am and looked at her clock. Perfect timing she thought as she leaned across to turn off her alarm. Her body had long become accustomed to waking up early to take part in yoga and relaxing her mind before the work day began. Today was different though, today she had a different plan. She needed to make sure she looked better than ever if she was going to win her best friend back and that took time and execution. No yoga meant coffee first though which made the kitchen her first stop of the day.

Maura paused and looked at the counter quizzically. "Those weren't there yesterday," she said out loud, looking at the spread before her. A piece of paper propped against a box drew her attention and she unfolded it as she opened the top of the box. The swell of happiness in her chest took her breath and she bit her lip to stop tears from falling. Jane. Jane had been in the house and made all this effort just for her. After everything she had done, Jane was the one making an effort and trying to make it up to her. She shook her head, annoyed at herself for how badly she'd treated her and then she felt herself laughing.

"So much for my master plan," she whispered at she looked at the note again. At least this made things easier she thought. So talking to Jane was no longer going to be an issue she summarised but how long would it take the dark haired detective to forgive her for her cruel words?

Maura set herself to making coffee and took a small bite out of one of the pastries. She closed her eyes and savoured the taste, steadying herself as memories of sharing breakfast with Jane came flooding into her mind. Jane was what was missing from this perfect moment. She missed her best friend too and she was going to do whatever it took to get her back.


	9. Chapter 9

**Update: **Hey guys, sorry for the delay in posting and thank you very much for the reviews. Here's the next chapter and I'm already working on the next one so hopefully no big delays. I've edited a few of the previous chapters for spelling and format

**Chapter 9**

Jane arrived at work earlier than planned but she needed to get in before anyone else to try and steady her nerves. Maura would be back at work today and she was more than likely going to approach Jane to speak to her about her breakfast gifts. Whilst Jane was praying that everything would go according to plan, a small part of her could hear Maura's words repeating in her head, and she was terrified that Maura was going to walk in and literally throw her gifts back at her. She swallowed hard and repeated the mantra that was firmly stuck in her head, "It doesn't matter if she's angry, you just gotta keep going, she's worth it." She did a slight double take as she walked into the bullpen to see Maura sitting at her desk.

"Er, hey Maura." She half mumbled with a raspy voice. Damn, she should've tried getting more sleep, she sounded rough. She had to clench her jaw to stop from drooling though. Maura was sat in a tight, shorter than normal, skirt and matching jacket. The shirt she was wearing was fashionably tight but unbuttoned low enough that with the angle she was sitting at, Jane had a perfect view of the top of her cleavage.

Maura smiled as she saw Jane's attempts to not look down her shirt. "Good morning Jane." She stood up slowly from the desk, bending forwards slightly as she did. She couldn't keep the grin off her face as Jane's jaw dropped slightly before she managed to compose herself. "Thank you for the breakfast treats, it was an unexpected pleasure." Maura moved forwards again, bordering on Jane's personal space.

Jane's face broke out into an innocent smile, a genuine look of happiness on her face, "No problem, you liked them?" She asked and tried not to kick herself for acting like a child. God it was a simple thank you, Maura could just be being polite.

Maura took Jane's face as a sign she could try push things a little bit, "I didn't like them Jane," Jane's face fell a little, "I love them." And there it was, the goofy grin plastered firmly on Jane's face. Maura stepped forward again, embracing the taller woman tightly and leaning up to whisper in her ear, "The only thing missing was you." She stepped back to gauge Jane's reaction.

Jane's mind was spinning. Not only had her plan worked in the fact that Maura had enjoyed the surprise but Maura was hugging her. The woman that didn't want her to exist a short few days ago was now hugging her. She was whispering in her ear and Jane's mind was struggling not to implode.

Jane's face was all Maura needed to see to know she'd gone too far. Damn she thought, should've just left it at words. Jane was going into a panic and Maura needed to step back and let her process. Pushing her would only make the detective flee, Maura knew this well enough.

"Thank you again Jane and thank you for not giving up on me despite how horrible I was to you. I hope in time I can make it up to you enough that you forgive me." Maura touched Jane's hand briefly as she began to walk past her and leave the office.

Move, her mind screamed. Do something, anything, it yelled again. But Jane was routed to the spot whilst Maura spoke to her. After the initial happiness at how well her plan had gone, she started to panic. What if this was some sick joke? She wished she never existed, how did she now say she was the only thing missing from breakfast? Rationally she knew that Maura wasn't malicious and she had only lashed out but the panic wouldn't allow her to see that. Just as Maura was about to exit the office, she finally managed to speak, "Maura?" She called out. Maura turned to face her and the look of hope on her face was unmissable. "I'll catch you later?" She asked, trying to make it sound casual but it coming out as anything but.

Maura smiled at her softly, "Yes Jane, I'll be downstairs anytime you want to come by." And with that she left.

Jane sat down at her desk and put her head in her hands. Why the hell had she reacted like that? She could've done anything; she had her back in her arms! She could've held her back, she could've spoken to her but instead she'd frozen, paralysed by fear. She sighed as she realised that she recovered it slightly and now she had the option of visiting Maura in the morgue at any point during the day.

"Hey Jane," Frost said as he came up to her desk. "How's the masterplan going?" He smiled at her and perched on the edge of her desk.

"Great. Terrible. I don't really know," She sighed again, putting her hands over her face.

"What's going on? You get to talk to her?"

Jane explained to him what she'd done last night and the conversation she'd just had with Maura. Maybe he'd be able to shed some light on it. She watched as Frost mulled over the details and finally started smiling.

"That's a good reaction Jane. She's thanking you and trying to show you she's open to talking now." He grinned and slapped her on the back, "Good going girl, you've broken the ice."

"Who's broken what ice?" Korsak asked as he walked in with 3 coffees.

"Thanks," Frost tipped the cup up in appreciation and replied, "Jane. She did a late night bakery run and Maura came to thank her this morning."

Korsak smiled and nodded, "Good going Jane. So what's happening now?"

Frost laughed, "Now she's confused and Maura has given her an all access pass to the morgue at any time she wants today." He took another sip of his coffee, "Except Jane's scared it's all some sort of game despite the fact we all know Maura is incapable of playing mind game."

Jane snapped her head up at this. "I'm not scared!" She said gruffly. She had never been one to shy away from a challenge and she definitely didn't want people thinking she was scared of anything. She watched as Frost smiled knowingly and swatted at him, "Ass!"

He laughed and hopped off the desk. Korsak smiled at the exchange and swallowed the bite of the pastry he was eating. "I get it Jane, I do. We know you're not scared of a challenge but it's also okay to be scared of being hurt. I know you want her back badly but now she's right in front of you and I bet you're replaying her words over in your head again." Jane went to speak and Korsak put his hand out to stop her, "It's not a flaw and it's okay to feel that way but the only way either of you are gonna fix this is by talking. So why are you still up here with us when you should be down there talking to her?"

"Yeah Jane," Frost added, "Go get your girl." He smiled as Jane stood nervously from her desk, pulling down her shirt and tucking a stray hair away from her face.

She shook her head, not even bothering to comment the 'your girl' comment. Maura would be her girl eventually she hoped but they were right, she wouldn't get anywhere without talking to her. She walked purposely towards the elevator. Time to sort this all out once and for all.


End file.
